Auspicious Beginning
by Choco Forest
Summary: "The best thing that happened to me was to meet you." - - A mini-series about GRAYLU for yamarygraylu as a form of participation in GRAYLU SECRET SIBLINGS GIFT EXCHANGE 2018 on tumblr. [graylu fanfiction]
1. Chapter 1

_"The best thing that happened to me was to meet you."_

 ** _. . . . . ._**

 ** _. . . ._**

 _. ._

Gray Fullbuster checked his watch before pushing the door in front of him. There was a smile on his face when he found out he had arrived earlier.

 _Ting-a-ling_

A pleasant aroma from coffee, chocolate, and buttery croissants greeted him friendly as he walked into the coffee shop. Although fairly small, it has a warm and cozy atmosphere with cushions, string lights, gramophone, and wooden furniture as the main decoration.

As he looked around for a place to sit, a lively voice from behind the counter interrupted him.

"Hi there. What can I get for you?"

Gray automatically twisted his body and read the menu list on the wall.

The owner of the voice, a young girl with glasses, slipped a little gasp from her mouth when she realized there's a good-looking guy with spiky black-colored hair before her. Her smile widened as she watched the guy closely. She thought that he has a manly yet cute expression while observing the menu and with a quick glance, she can guess behind that dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, hidden a toned and muscular body.

 _Nice!_

"I heard that you guys have the best cappuccino in town. I would like to try that!" He finally decided his choice while giving her a polite smile. "Give me two butter croissants too, please."

After completing his order, Gray went to the right. Little did he know, from behind the counter, that girl kept staring at his strong back and trailing his steps toward the window without realizing that her behavior was caught by her co-worker who was near the kitchen. He then sighed meaningfully and resumed his work.

The young Fullbuster chose to sit by the window, his favorite spot. A place he always fought over with his brother when they were kids but when their little sister came along years later, he happily gave the spot to her regardless of the protests of his older brother. He smiled at that thought.

Occasionally looking outward, Gray checked his cell phone. A gentle rhythm was slowly flowing from the sound system and he absentmindedly hummed, feeling content.

-x-

After passing the florist, Lucy Heartfilia hurriedly turned a corner and pushed the door of the coffee shop. She took a breath and exchanged greetings with the girl at the counter.

"Today's special?" offered the girl as she opened the display case where neatly lined muffins, cookies, pretzels, and croissants.

She just nodded and swept her gaze quickly.

There weren't so many people there so she easily found the person she wanted to meet today. A dark-haired guy who sat right by the window with his back to her. With a soft pat on his shoulder, the blonde beauty tried to attract the young man's attention.

"Oh hey, Lucy." His voice was deep and calm, casual.

The said girl threw herself on the couch next to him. In a swift manner, she tore and took a bite some butter croissant on the plate.

"You're late."

"No, you're the one coming too early!"

Gray chuckled lightly.

"Anyway, I can see why you like this place. The ambience is so peaceful and calm. Oh, and you're right! This place has the best cappuccino in town," he stated and took another sip.

She grinned cheerfully and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder, "You know I'm never wrong."

"Once, at the road trip back in high school."

"Eugh! Not that again!"

Lucy rolled her eyes while Gray sniggered.

Their chatter stalled when a feminine voice called her name. "Miss Lucy, sorry to have kept you waiting. This is your order."

The corner of her mouth turned up, "This looks delicious, thank you." She replied and grabbed the mug in front of her, letting the heat from the mug warm her hands. "So, tell me, Gray. You asked me to meet not just for tasting the best cappuccino, right?"

"Lucy Heartfilia, always the sharp one," teasingly, Gray responded. "I have an offer for you."

She looked up at him, signaling that she was listening fully.

"I have an offer for you to fulfill the promise you made to me at the Halloween party."

Her slim brow furrowed trying to remember the promise she had made.

"You must have forgotten, right?"

Weakly, she nodded.

"You were heavily drunk and asked me to take you home that night," Gray continued calmly. From the corner of his eye, he caught her blinked aware.

Her vague memory came back.

 _Lucy staggered toward Gray who was talking seriously with someone. She couldn't recognize him, everything looked blurry. She tried to put her hand on his shoulder but missed and descended to his bare chest._

 _"Graaayy… hicc… I… I ordered you t-to… hicc… me home…" She slurred._

 _A smile spread across her face as she noticed the change in his expression. His worried voice sounded enthralling in her ears._

Her beautiful face began to blush.

 _When they almost arrived, she hugged him closer and whispered, "In return, you can ask me to do anything… for you. I promise…" then she linked their little finger carelessly._

He made a faint smirk as he casually touched her little finger and she jolted.

"Okay…"

"Hm…"

"Just spill it! What do you want me to do?" she continued before nibbling the pretzel.

"Well… Wendy's birthday is coming up and I was thinking of making a party for her. It will have some girly vibes so I need your favor." Gray paused and added hastily, "I don't mean to be sexist. I think you understand more about this than me."

Her brown eyes still on him. Pondered.

The young Fullbuster let the silence take over as he watched her expectantly.

"So you want me to help you?" Lucy confirmed, amused. She had known for a long time that he loved his sister dearly. For some reason, she really wanted to tease him today.

"Yes. It's for Wendy." He replied curtly.

"D'aaaawww… you're such a nice brother! I wish I could have a brother like you!" She bounced on the couch and playfully poking his upper arm. As an only child, she never knew what it was like to have a brother or a sister. She sometimes felt a twinge of envy for her friends even though they assured her that siblings can be troublesome as well.

Gray brushed his dark bangs with his fingers and tilted his head, "Only a brother?" There's a slight glint in his eyes as he smiled and it made her heart pound.

She averted her eyes and mumbled something like 'shut up'.

"Why? I'm just responding to your words," he replied nonchalantly. A beeping sound from his cell phone caught his attention. He checked it for a moment before putting it back on the table.

Trying to change the subject, she asked him several questions, "Any ideas for the venue? How many guests? What kind of theme that you want for the party?" her notebook's already on her lap with a pen tucked in her fingers.

"Just a small party with a few guests, like family and her close friends," he answered before reaching for his cell phone. "About the theme… what do you think about this?"

Lucy shifted closer to his side and looked at the pictures from that device with him. Some pictures showed beautifully decorated gardens and others were party rooms with pastel colors. Slowly but surely a smile widened on her face. "Wow! This is amazing, Gray! How can you…" she exclaimed excitedly, couldn't hide her amazement.

A flush crept up his clean-shaven face.

Gray cleared his throat, "Hm… just a little observation, that's all!" he was trying to hide his embarrassment.

 _How cute!_

She smiled at that thought as she wrote something in her notebook.

"… but I don't know where to start?"

"How about this place? They just started their business this spring and they received a lot of good reviews." Lucy showed him a place filled with cute and vintage decorations.

"Looks nice, let's go then!"

He immediately got up from his seat and walked away, signaling for Lucy to follow him.

"Hey, wait! You forgot your jacket!"

-x-x-x-


	2. Chapter 2

-x-x-x-

The Heartfilia heiress carefully twisted the key before entering her apartment. A small two-bedroom apartment and in the downtown area, not far from where she worked. Although small it looked spacious and cozy thanks to her roommate's creativity who often change the decorations by season. This time she used the color palette of various shades of grey and blue and with a touch of pink. She didn't mind the frequent change of decoration as long as it's not done in the predawn as they did when they just rented the apartment one year ago.

Lucy tied up her long blonde hair into a loose bun using the hair tie that she found in the blue key bowl.

A familiar voice greeted her from their living room, "Is that you, Lucy?"

As she dropped her bag into the nearest chair she saw the owner of the voice lifted her left hand into the air without looking at her, "Over here! I just unlocked the new level and got the rare item!" said her roommate cheerily. She played with her cell phone while the TV was still on.

Lucy plopped onto the couch after carefully placing a cup of tea on the coffee table. One bucket of ice cream and a box of cereal was already there.

"How's the date?" asked her roommate after lowering her cell phone from her face. Her eyes twinkled, couldn't wait to hear the juicy details.

"It's not a date. It just a friendly meeting with an old friend." She responded and took a sip from her cup, hoping the hot liquid would calm her nerves.

"Why all day?"

"Because we went to some places. We even visited Lucy in The Sky, but unfortunately, they've been booked up to 3 months ahead."

"Wow! Lucy in The Sky! That's escalated quickly! You're already planning a wedding?!"

"Hey! We went there for Wendy!"

"Wendy?" asked her roommate, she blinked. That name sounded familiar to her ear.

"She's his little sister. He asked me to help him prepare for her birthday party. The theme will be something like afternoon tea party. That's why we checked some places but some of them are under construction, being used as filming location for drama movie, fully booked, something like that…"

She then remembered something from the afternoon and started to share it with her roommate. "And you know what…"

 _They went into a tea house located inside a flower market. It's the fifth store they'd visited. They were in awe of how much thought was put into creating the place. Like an indoor greenhouse but with an exquisite touch. So many fresh flowers prettily arranged, here and there. They could hear the faint sound of the rippling water behind._

 _When they were engrossed in sight, a woman with long white hair and friendly smile on her lips approached them both._

 _"Hi, my name is Mirajane," she said, introducing herself. "So when is the wedding? You'll look gorgeous as a June bride! I can vividly imagine your dress. A simple yet cute tea length wedding dress with a bow on the back of the dress just above your waistline and for the color…"_

 _Before she spoke too far, Lucy cut her off, "We-wedding?! What wedding?"_

 _"You come here to plan your bridal shower tea party, right?"_

 _Lucy shook her head in confusion._

 _"Oh dear… did I ruin the surprise?" Mirajane covered her mouth with her hand as she turned his gaze to Gray._

 _He was also confused. A faint blush colored his face._

 _Before they could say anything, that woman made her own conclusion. "You just wanted to propose her after this…"_

 _They both looked at each other and one of them hastily refuted, "We… we're just friends… so far…" with the other one added, "There will be no wedding in the near future."_

 _Another voice interrupted them. It came from a younger version of Mirajane. She pushed that woman away and said that someone was looking for her. They breathed a sigh of relief._

 _"I'm Lisanna. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, my sister can be so imaginative. She likes to play as match-maker sometimes." She shook their hands while apologizing._

 _They laughed awkwardly and followed her to another room._

 _"But are you sure you're not a couple? Because you guys can make a good pair."_

Lucy ended her story, "Can you believe that?"

Her roommate exploded with laughter when she shook her head and drained her cup. "That's a funny incident, actually. They can see clearly except you two."

"Lynx! Stop teasing me…" a weak protest escaped from her mouth. "It's good to see him again though. He's still the same Gray as I knew before… but…" She glanced up to the ceiling, trying to find the words.

 _My heart has been busy today._

A certain good-looking guy with spiky black-colored hair occupied her mind. His distinctive smirk was clearly pictured followed by one scene at Cozy Corner where she saw their waitress stealing a glance toward Gray before placing her order onto the table. A corner of her mouth lifted. Since their younger years, it was a familiar sight for her.

"But he's more manly… sexy… yummy…" said Lynx while snapping her fingers in front of her, tried to pull her back to the earth. Her polished nails shine perfectly.

The blonde beauty gasped. Her eyes widened. A second later she threw a cushion at her, but she can easily avoid it.

"You're welcome!" said Lynx. She winked at her slyly. "Anyway, after the act of bravery that you did at the Halloween party, today's date is a good progress."

"It's not a date!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever!"

. . .

. .

.

Meanwhile…

"Hi, Mom! It's me, Gray. I will visit you tomorrow. Tell Dad I'm sorry I didn't reply his text. Ah no, no. I'll come with Lucy. What? No. It's for Wendy. Hey, no. It's not like that. Huh? Ultear will come also? Oh shit! No, I don't swear to you. Talk to you later, okay Mom. See you!"

The room was hushed again when he ended the phone call. He sighed.

It was a moonless night out there and he didn't bother turning on the lights, just relying on the dim light from the table lamp. Gray put his feet on the desk as he shut his eyes.

 _"Do I look like a pregnant woman?!" She grumbled as she left the place, her long blonde hair slightly swayed. "Is it because I ate too much this morning?"_

 _Half running, Gray tried to chase her from behind._

 _She put her hands on her hips and turned around, "Tell me, Gray. Am I fat?"_

 _Carefully he said, "You don't look like you're pregnant or fat. Actually, I have a few words for your condition... but can I say it without fear of tasting the infamous Lucy Kick? I don't think so."_

 _He winced and it made her laugh._

 _"That Vandalay guy… he just wants to mess up your mind. Besides, I don't want to use their service for the party. It's still too early for Wendy to get to know this host club," he spoke, sitting next to her._

 _They remain silent for a moment, rested for a while under the shade of a large tree. People passed by before them and the streetlights started to light up._

 _The evening was falling rapidly._

 _"Gray…" without looking at him, she started the conversation again._

 _"Hm…"_

 _"I remember that Wendy always likes Alice in Wonderland."_

 _"Mhmm…" He responded curtly. From a distance, he saw a little boy holding hands with his father. The toddler walked happily following his father's footsteps while talking in a humorous way. He also waved to Gray as he passed. Somehow it warmed his heart._

 _Lucy's eyes followed where the toddler went and continued, "… and you said that when she was little she loved playing with your dad in her playroom… dress up cutely as dragon slayer princess and make a treaty while drinking tea. Why don't we relive those memories for her? Let's make the afternoon tea party at your parents' house!"_

 _"Huh?!"_

-x-x-x-


	3. Chapter 3

-x-x-x-

There she was, standing so elegant with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. An attitude that showed that she's from a respected family. With a beam of light illuminating her head, Lucy looked so radiant. He could only gaze at her in astonishment.

Slowly, silence came between these two old friends.

They stood there, still and tranquil.

Until she batted her lashes. "Humh… Gray?" raising the bouquet, she slightly waved it. The pretty pastel colored flowers came into his view. It's quite a contrast to the color of clothes he wore, all black with a touch of red.

"Ah, yes! Sorry for blocking your way." He moved a little bit. "Is this for me?" Gray joked as he accepted the bouquet. Their fingers were faintly touching.

"You can have it but ask Wendy first." She winked as he rolled his eyes. "Where's the birthday girl?"

"I think she's still in her room. Oh, there she is!"

A petite girl with baby blue dress ran towards her and hugged her tightly. "Lucy-nee!"

"Hi, birthday girl!" Lucy cheered at her. "You look so cute with this outfit." Her mouth curved into a smile while she gently touched her long and dark blue hair, fixing the headband.

Wendy beamed. "Nii-san bought this for me! And you also look beautiful, right Gray-nii?" she let go of her arms and innocently asked the guy who stood casually behind them.

"As always."

His dark eyes bored into her.

Before she could speak, Wendy had already pointed to her older brother's hand, "Is that for me?" then she took the bouquet and breathed-in the scent of the flowers. "Thank you, Lucy-nee! I can use this as the table decoration."

"Hey, where's my thanks? I'm the one who brought her here for you!" Gray requested and crossed his arms over his chest.

Wendy didn't answer, she stuck out her tongue instead.

Lucy laughed at the sight in front of her.

With an adorable smile plastered on her face, Wendy grabbed her hand, "Come, Lucy-nee! Let me show you the living room. It's so lovely!" She pulled her there while his older brother followed them from behind.

As the youngest, Wendy got an abundance of affection from her family. Especially for today, together with Lucy, they showed it by creating a memorable birthday party for her. But due to the weather, they moved the place from the backyard to their living room.

When Lucy set foot into the spacious living room, she stunned. It was lavishly decorated in _Alice in Wonderland_ style.

"This is so breathtaking!" she cried enthusiastically.

"Of course! Thanks to your checklist, Ultear can boss us around to make it perfect. Not a single thing was missed." From the corner of the room, a young man spoke up.

She turned around just to see a guy flipping through a music magazine with a picture of himself as the cover. He looked visually attractive in his steampunk version of White Rabbit costume.

"Oh hey, Lyon! Looking good!"

"Said someone who insisted that we should wear a costume for today! So don't listen to him, Lucy." Ultear retorted. She put the bouquet from Wendy on the table and fixed the position.

Lucy giggled at their banter.

Lyon walked closer and grinned at her, "At least there's someone who appreciates my efforts!"

Hearing the words, Gray snorted but the blonde girl beside him nodded in agreement. Not long afterward, they were engaged in conversation. Mostly about their past activities and occasionally tease the dark-haired guy who tried to keep himself from sulking.

Wendy who had been quietly playing with her cell phone was now talking, "Nii-san. Can you bring the cake here, please? Carla said she'll be here soon."

"Oh and Lyon, tell Aunt Mika to join us also."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

The slim young man bowed to them in a teasing manner. "Are you coming along, Gray? I think you need a glass of cold water."

"Hn."

-x-

Lyon sauntered into the kitchen. It's located on the east side of the house, a place that is often exposed to the sunlight that coming in through the tall windows but this time the sky looked a bit cloudy. A delicious scent filled the room as he entered it. He amazed to see what was in front of him. Thanks to their mother's cooking skills, on the kitchen table laid out delicious dishes for the party.

Saw his mother standing with her back to him, his slanted eyes glinting mischievously.

"Mother, do you remember when Gray was high after his visit to the dentist?"

His mother turned around. Her dark brows puckered in a frown. On the other side of the room, Gray who was drinking a glass of cold water was choking at the words.

"… and he mistook the nurse for someone else just because she had the same hair color." Lyon added, ignoring his brother's protests.

"What did you call her, Gray? Ah, yeah! Goldilocks! Because of her long glossy blonde hair and she used to tie it with ribbons. He kept on rambling how she had lovely brown eyes, her laugh was melodic, and she had… you know…" Before Gray could strangle him to death, Lyon had already hidden behind their mother, using her as a shield.

"Why suddenly talking about this?" She asked in a soft voice.

Lyon simply shrugged, "Because I feel like it."

Gray hissed.

"I'm pretty sure that asking her to help him prepare this party just an excuse to get closer to her. Like when he pretended to be sick during our family vacation, so he could go on a road trip with her and their friends."

Mika gave a questioning look at his son. The corners of her eyes crinkled.

Gray didn't return her gaze. Instead, he threw a sharp glance at the guy who was still behind his mother, casually chewed on a blueberry scone.

"Lyon. Stop teasing your brother." She spoke, still with the same soft tone. It reminded her of their childhood when they often quarreled over small things.

"But Mother… you should see his face. You know it's hard to ask him to come to a party when he's in aloof mode, right? But all of a sudden, his whole face lit up as she entered the room. Just simply being there, that girl can brighten his day. And your son, behaving like a gentleman, he drove the girl home before the Halloween party was over because she was not feeling well. You'll find it cute, I think!" Lyon, much to his brother's chagrin, continued his chatter.

Mika nodded, "I see…" her dark eyes gleamed, "And who's this girl again?"

The eldest of the three siblings shook his head in disbelief, making the strands of his bluish silver hair slightly moved. "Mother, are you pretending not to know? It's Lucy. Gray's very fond of her."

"Wha-what?!"

Suddenly a feminine voice appeared in the kitchen. The three of them turned to the owner of the voice with different reactions.

Lyon smirked in triumph, "Oh, oops!"

"Yes, Lucy dear?" smiled knowingly, his mother asked the blonde girl, the object of their conversation.

The young Fullbuster lowered his head and covered his dark blue eyes with a hand.

"Ah... umh… it's… ah… the guests are here… and ah…" she stammered with a nervous glance.

Lyon took it as a sign to leave the kitchen. He straightened up and adjusted the lapels of his jacket before lifting the three-tier stand in front of him. "Come, Mother. We need to entertain the guests."

The same silence came back among them.

Gray walked over to her.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

The blonde beauty held her breath.

Gently, he tucked her strands of hair behind her ear and whispered slowly.

"Let's talk about this later."

She could only nod feebly as her cheeks flushed.

* * *

 **BONUS**

Lucy Heartfilia once again checked out the window and found the Fullbuster family with some of Wendy's friends still playing fireworks joyfully in the backyard, while waiting for dinner time. She walked into the living room with light steps, wanting to meet a certain dark-haired guy who chose to stay there.

"So… tell me Gray! Is there something I need to know but you still keep it as a secret?"

Gray looked up from his cup. "Secret?" he asked back, trying to stay cool, calm, and collected.

"Graaayy…" she whined.

He stood up and drew nearer, "Do me a favor, please?"

"I have fulfilled my promise; what else is this time?" She huffed as she raised her little finger right in front of him.

He caught her little finger and grasped her hand. With an endearing little grin on his face, he spoke, "Dance with me."

-0-0-0-0-0-

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Start drafting: 25.11.17

Published on tumblr: 08.01.18

Checked/first read by one of my tumblr friend, _autumnleavescoffeedream!_

* * *

 **Notes:** I'm made this fanfiction for "yamarygraylu" as a form of participation in Graylu Secret Siblings Gift Exchange '18. It's my second time actually. My first submission's a playlist that I put on my youtube account.

She likes romance and fluff and I'm glad that this is acceptable to her. The title is a symbol of a hopeful start for her and for all of us, especially the graylu family.

At first, I wanted to make a one-shot but somehow it ended up into a mini-series with 4k+ words ^^; so let's just say this is my first attempt for (almost) everything! ;p first time writing a long/mini-series fanfic, first time including different characters (in mini-series), and even I, who never thought before to create my own character, here she appeared instead to add a little spark to our OTP. Well, first time for everything! ;p

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this fanfiction, I really appreciate it.

Happy new year to you! Wishing you a wonderful new year filled with abundance, joy, and treasured moments. All hail graylu! (*＾∇＾)ﾉﾟ･*:.｡.


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